Lingerie clasp



Dec. 9, 1930. F RD 1,784,482

LINGERIE CLASP Filed Oct. 7, 1929 mmegises Patented Dec. 9, 1930 MARIAN CRAWFORD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS LINGERIE CLASP Application filed October 7, 1929. Serial No. 397,801.

My invention relates to a clasp or retainer for the light straps of the undergarments worn by women, particularly for holding the shoulder straps of such garments in place I and prevent the shifting of such straps or shoulder ortions off the shoulders.

The ob ect of my invention is to provide a device which may be easily put in place and as readily removed; and whereby the undergarment straps will be held in flat snug rela tion with the wearers shoulders; a device which is comparatively light and which,

when in place, will be inconspicuous and in no way likely to injure the shoulder-of the wearer nor interfere with her comfort.

The objects and advantages of my invention will be readily comprehended from the detailed description of the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved clasp shown applied; a portion of the outer garment being broken away to disclose the device in position for application to the outer garment. Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view through the same and portions of the outer garment and undergarment.

Figure 3 is an elevation of my improved clasp.

My improved lingerie retainer comprises a pin or clasp 10 preferably composed of a single piece of suitable metal, such as silver and the like, possessing sufficient resiliency to permit .the same to be bent into elongated loop form so as to provide the lower main bar 11 and the upper pin-bar 12.

The free end of the lower bar is curled or bent back into hook form, as shown at 13. This hook portion 13 is slightly channeled or dished on its lower face, as shown by the dotted line at 14, to provide a socket for the free end of the upper bar 12 and which end is tapered to a sharp point to provide a garment penetrating pin. The upper bar 12, as shown in the drawing, is of length sufiicient to permit the hook end 13 of the lower bar to sufliciently lap the tapered free end 15 and securely hold the latter in its depressed po- 00 sition,as shown in Figure 3, after the upper pin bar 12 has been inserted through the garment of the user.

The lower bar 11, adjacent to one of its ends, to wit, adjacentto the closed end, is provided with a small chain 16 of minute links, with the end link preferably disposed through a small hole in the bar 11 so as to be free to move or flex and therefore lie flat against the shoulders or body of the user. The free end of this chain is provided with a well known type of fastening snap ring 17 which involves the usual spring held ring segmental portion18, provided with finger grasping lug 19 whereby the segmental portion 18 is depressed against the hidden spring, into the hollow portion 20 of the ring when it is desired to fasten or insert the ring 17 through the link 21 which in turn, is held adjacent to the hook end 13 of the lower bar 11 by means of a small link or ring 22 which preferably passes through a small hole in lower bar 11 so as to provide freedom and play for the links 21 and 22, allowing the same, like the chain 16, to assume the contour of the portion of the body of the 7 wearer with which it contacts.

It will be understood that the clasp and the chain are all greatly exaggerated in size in the drawing for the sake of clarity; the device in reality being quite small and of a rather delicate, nature so as not to be conspicuous when in use. As shown in Figure 3, the chain 16 is of a comparative length so as to, in conjunction with the lower bar 11 of the clasp, provide a loop of greater dimensions than the usual shoulder straps A employed on womens undergarments.

This therefore not only enables easy application of my improved clasp, but prevents puckering or rufliing of the shoulder straps and permits the straps to be kept in smooth, flat contact with the wearers shoulder and thus provides for desired neatness.

In practice, the user passes the pin bar 12 frombe'neath through a. proper portion of the seam of the outer dress or garment se. as to allow the chain 16 to depend beneath and lie loosely on the shoulder of the wearer. The spring held portion 18 of the snap ring 17 is then depressed against the spring, allowing the ring 17 to be released from the link' 21. The wearer then passes the loose end of the chain 16 beneath the shoulder strap A of the undergarment and then fastens the snap ring 17 onto the link 21 in the manner previously described. The comparatively lon chain permits the strap to be kept unr ed, while the wearer will not be gonscious of the delicate chain on her shoul- I am aware that lingerie fasteners or retainers have been provided which, however,

were of a more or less cumbersome or offensive nature; in certain instances not easily applied and not flexible and likely to injure the delicate garments with which they would be employed, while at the same time preventing the visible straps of the undergarment lying fiat on the shoulders as is greatly desired. By reason of these objections, such fasteners or retainers have not gone into extensive use.

My clasp is designed to overcome these objections and to meet the want of a suitable lingerie clasp which will function as desired and practically be invisible when in use.

What I claim is A device for retaining a lingerie strap on the wearers shoulders comprising a garment clasp consisting of two substantially parallel bars united at one of the ends so as to permit the free ends to be flexed toward each other, the free end of one bar being tapered into a pin-point while the free end of the other bar is bent into hook form adapted to receive the pointed end of the other bar, and a link chain one end whereof is yieldingly secured adjacent to the end of one of the bars, while the other end of the chain is provided with a spring snap, and a link yieldingly connected at the opposite end of said bar and adapted to receive the spring snap, said chain being of length greater than the width of the garment strap to be encircled.

MARIAN CRAWFORD. 

